Corn Cob Jelly Recipe

     Corn Cob Jelly is a food that has been around for a long, long time.  Our ancestors knew how to use and reuse so many items that we just throw away.  One of these items was the corn cob.  Once you get through with eating a piece of corn-on-the-cob, save the cob next time.  We freeze ours in a baggie until I have enough to make some corn cob jelly.  Try it sometime and you will become a fan also!

 

 

Corn Cob Jelly

12 corn cobs

3 qts. water

2 T. lemon juice

1 box Sure-Jell powdered pectin

sugar

1 T. butter 

    As you can tell by my photo, the cobs do not have to be picked clean to use.  After we eat the corn, I just  stick them in the baggie in the freezer.  When I am ready to make the jelly, I just pull them out, break them in half (so they will all fit in my pot) and start cooking!  

      Put the cobs in a pot, add the water and turn it on high to boil.  Once it begins to boil, let it boil (a hard boil) for 30 minutes.  At this point, prepare your jars by either running them through the heat cycle of your dishwasher; boiling them for 10 minutes; or putting them in a warm oven for 15 minutes.  Also, put on a pot of water to boil for processing. 

 

      Once the cobs have hard boiled for 30 minutes,  place a colander or strainer over another pot and strain the cobs and water.  The water that is now in the bottom pot will be used (prepared liquid).  Set the strainer/colander of cobs aside.  Measure the liquid.  I usually have 4 cups of prepared liquid at this point.  After measuring, pour the liquid back into either pot and add in the lemon juice, butter and pectin.  Turn on the stove to medium-high and bring the liquid to a boil.  Stir occasionally.  As it is cooking, measure out the sugar.  You will match sugar-to-liquid equally.  If you had 4 cups of prepared liquid than use exactly 4 cups of sugar.  OK?  

 

     Once the mixture is boiling, stir in the sugar.  Stir constantly.  Let it come back to a full boil and boil for exactly one minute and remove from heat.  Begin ladling the hot jelly into jelly jars, seal and process in water bath for 10 minutes.  

 

    Here is what it looks like when done.  Isn't it pretty?

   I think the most surprising thing about Corn Cob Jelly is the taste.  It is nice and sweet and tastes a lot like honey.  Seriously, it does!  Even my 8 year old, who is a truly picky eater likes it.  Of course, I did not tell him what it was before I made him try it but....  :-)

 

      Now for the corn cobs we set aside earlier, I just leave them out and let them dry out and then store them until I am ready to do a campfire and use them for kindling.  They burn nicely!

This will make 6 half-pint jars.  

      This Corn Cob Jelly tastes great on my potato biscuits.  

SIDE NOTE:  These were made for our family's consumption.  If you are making them to give as gifts, cut the kernels from the cobs before eating them and use cobs that have not been "bit" on.  :-)

    If you would like to learn more about canning, click here to go to my Dehydrating & Canning page.

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Blogs I have linked this recipe up with include:

Saving 4 Six
Serving Joyfully
Graced Simplicity 
The Self Sufficient Homeacre 
The Chicken Chick
Rockabyeparents 
Love in the Kitchen

This recipe was featured on: 

Bioscience Weight Loss Challenge

     I recently learned about Bioscience and their Weight loss challenge.   I am a BIG gal and have struggled with my weight my entire life.  I have tried lots of diets and even doctor prescribed medicines and plans and never really lose more than 2-3 pounds.  My body just won't release the fat.  I haven't dieted in YEARS because what is the use, right?  Well, I heard about this challenge and I was thinking "What do I have to lose?"  Nothing but weight, right.  So, after checking out the site, I decided to try the 30 Day Diet plan.  I liked the description of the product where they say they don't try to make you just eat cabbage soup or try to shame you into weight loss.  I really liked the fact that all the products are made here in the U.S. and are made at FDA inspected facilities.  My goal is to actually lose some weight.  I would be happy with a loss of 5 lbs. a month but would really like to lose at least 10 lbs. a month.  Wouldn't that be great?
     If you want to learn more about the company, it is Creative Bioscience.  If you would like to order the 30 day Diet Plan like I am going to try out, click here or here.
    Once I get the plan, I will let you all know and keep you posted on the results.  I am excited!

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Oreo Fluff Recipe

    The recipe I am sharing today is one my family really loves.   I do not make it often because when I do, my family almost makes themselves sick by eating it all in one setting.  It is called "Oreo Fluff" (or at least, that is what my family calls it.)

 

 

Oreo Fluff

 

 2 c. milk

2 c. mini marshmallows

24 Oreo Cookies

1 tub homemade whipped topping or Cool Whip

1 small box chocolate instant pudding

We used the Double Stuf Oreos.

The ingredients...

     For the marshmallows, we always buy the package of colored marshmallows but you can use plain white ones, just your preference.

     First thing you will need to do is crush up the Oreo cookies until they are crumbs.  I let my hubby do this part while I mix up the rest. 

 

The crushed cookies.

    In a large bowl, pour in the pudding mix and milk.  Whisk them together for 1 1/2-2 minutes.  Stir in the Cool whip and marshmallows, and by this time, the Oreos should be crushed.  Stir the crumbly cookies in too.  That is it. 

Yum, yum, yummy!

     My boys like to dip Oreo cookies into the fluff and use it as a dip but my darling hubby just eats this stuff by the spoonful.  Either way is acceptable.  It is soooo good. 

Ronny enjoying it!

     Hope you enjoy it with your family too.

  Be sure to check out my other fluff recipes:  Rocky Road Fluff and my Strawberry Jell-O Fluff Salad.  

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Parmesan Zucchini

  

 I am not one to generally like zucchini but I had some the other day and wanted to try something new.  The following is what we did....

Parmesan Zucchini

   Olive Oil

   1 large zucchini

   Sea Salt

Parmesan

     Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Place some Olive oil in a bowl.  Slice the zucchini into thin round slices.  Dip the zucchini slices into the oil and coat thoroughly.  Place onto cookie sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and Parmesan.  Bake for 27 minutes.  

     These come out tasting almost like a potato chip.   We all loved these and munched on them while watching the "Hunger Games".  Even my 8 year old who hates zucchini liked these.  I think we will start doing this once a week.  Yummy!

 

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Vegas: Part 3

   This is Part 3 of our Trip to Vegas.  Click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.   These next photos are from our trip back home.  We left Vegas on February 10th.  We went by the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon on our way home.  We arrived back in Oklahoma on February 11th.  We were gone for exactly a week and had a wonderful time.  We missed my babe and were so glad to see him.

  Yes, I realize that this is just 3 different pictures of the Rocky Mountains but they are so breath-takingly beautiful.  It was our first time to see these for real and were in awe of them.  It just another way we see God's Hands in our world.  

   Why do I not have any photos of the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam you may ask?  Because I was SUPER sick on the way home.  My stomach was hurting so bad I could barely drive.  I wanted to just be in a fetal position and moaning in a corner but I had to drive instead.  This is how bad I was hurting...at the time, the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam did not impress me.  I think my exact words were "It's just a big hole in the ground" about the Grand Canyon.
    Please do not write me hate mail.  The boys were impressed and loved seeing them.  I was just very cranky and miserable and hope to return someday to get to enjoy the beauty of them for real.

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Vegas: Part 2

  We left from home on Feb. 4, 2012.  In the blog post earlier, I shared about our first 2 days in Vegas.  Here is what we did on day 3 in Vegas (February 7th), we went to Sigfried & Roy's Dolphin Paradise at the Mirage Hotel.  It was so cool!  I think one of the best things about the attractions is getting to visit the various hotels/casinos.  We are fans of CSI and love going and seeing places that we seen on TV.

   I did not use zoom on my camera.  This is actually how close we got to sit and see the dolphins.  They allowed us to sit on the wall and if I stretched out my hand, I could touch them.  The boys loved this.  Especially Brandon because he wants to be a Marine Biologist.  

The Luxor.

    This is the Luxor hotel/casino.  I love how it looks like a giant pyramid.  When we went by it on the monorail, it looked HUGE.

Cool picture in "Rock and Rita's".

    One of the restaurants in Circus Circus is called "Rock & Rita's".  They have the neatest pictures hanging up but I think the one above cracked us up the most.  

Views while we were on the Monorail.

   Here is another view of what we saw while riding the Monorail.  This was our first time on anything like this.  We were excited!

    The next day (February 8th) was my day to be on the "Price is Right Live" at Bally's hotel/casino.  I had a great booth and it was LOTS of fun.  I had no idea that Joey from NSYNC was the host.  He was funny.

Getting ready to spin the "Big Wheel"

Watching it spin...

75cents.  Not bad but not good enough

Me with Joey Fontaine, the Showcase girls and the announcer.

      That evening the boys and I went to Adventure Dome (again) inside Circus Circus.  It is an amusement park with an indoor roller coaster and a ton of other rides.  Ronny's favorite ride is the 4D theater.  It is FUN!   Another thing we did EVERY DAY was go to the Circus Circus area and watch the circus performers and play the carnival type games. 

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Vegas Baby!

       At the beginning of the year, with my MS just beginning to rear up its ugly head again, my very sweet hubby and I started talking about the future.  I knew that before too long, there would be a very real possibility that our life would be changing a lot due to my health and MS.  It was decided that the boys and I would take a trip to remember.  I wanted the boys to be able to look back and remember Momma before she was in a wheelchair, etc.  A trip that they could hold onto for a life time.  So, while my hubby stayed home and watched the farm and animals, the boys and I rented a car and headed to Vegas.
     We left from Ft. Smith, AR on February 4, 2012 and headed off.  We stopped to spend the night in Alburquerque, NM on the way there and arrived in Las Vegas on February 5th.  We stayed at Circus Circus.

   

The boys were captivated by all the sites!

     I am sure I looked like this most of the time.  There is sooo much to see in Vegas.  It is just mind blowing.  Something cool, amazing, or shocking no matter where you look.  I think the boys and I said "Vegas Baby" a half million times over the course of a week.  :-)

This is the CEILING inside Planet Hollywood Hotel. 

This was also inside Planet Hollywood hotel in the area of the theater where the Pet Show was.  

   We went to Planet Hollywood hotel to see Popovich's Animal Show.  The walk through the hotel was amazing.  We couldn't help but walk and stare at the ceiling.  It was too cool looking.  It looked so real and the tops of the buildings were all cool shaped.  People could definitely tell we were tourists.  And then we see this....

Right next to the theater.  A stripper bar.  Nice, not!

   This is RIGHT next to the theater we are going to.  Not only that but there is a half dressed "woman" standing out front offering to take pictures with people.  She asked my 14 year old if he wanted to take a picture with her and he almost died of embarrassment.  Then while we were in line for the show, a "woman" from the stripper bar came and passed out half priced drink coupons.  She told me the boys were welcome to come inside there too because they serve virgin drinks too.  Needless to say, we did not go but I gave the coupons away when I got back home.

This lady FREE HANDS the coolest signs.  This is one she is making for my hubby.

   Inside of Circus Circus, this lady was set up to draw names by free hand.  Man, was she good.  The above picture she is drawing my hubbies name.  The picture below is the finished product.  

Free Hand painting

   I watched this lady do this from start to finish and it took her less than 5 minutes.  I couldn't do that well in 5 days.  It was amazing and only cost $6.  Amazing, huh?   

   I will show pictures tomorrow from our 2nd day there.  Hope you enjoy the pictures and our story.

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